Australian surfing star Jack Robinson has been revealed to have been protested by South Korea over the board design he planned to use at the Olympics as a tribute.

Robinson is on the brink of a medal after reaching the semi-finals but has been made to wait, with the competition postponed due to unfavourable conditions over the weekend.

Amid the delay it has now been revealed his run to the final four came after a dramatic lead-up prompted by social media posts showing a Rising Sun design on his boards.

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Robinson had the red-and-white pattern painted to honour the late American surfing legend Andy Irons, who used the design before his death aged 32 in 2010 from cardiac arrest.

The Australian’s posts displaying the boards alerted South Korea, whose local media reported fans reacted harshly to the “ignorant” and “crazy” decision.

The Rising Sun is considered offensive in the country, which was controlled by Japan until the end of World War II.

Jack Robinson snapped one of his Rising Sun boards in the lead-up to the Olympics.Jack Robinson snapped one of his Rising Sun boards in the lead-up to the Olympics.
Jack Robinson snapped one of his Rising Sun boards in the lead-up to the Olympics. Credit: Gregory Bull/AP

South Korean national surfing team manager Song Min also saw Robinson’s images and helped ensure swift action was taken before the Olympics began.

“I saw his post, thinking that board can’t be used because Olympics is a pure sports event,” Song told Reuters.

“Eventually the South Korean Olympic team visited Australian counterpart not to see that board during the Games.”

Robinson — who snapped one of the boards in question during a training run before the Olympics — complied with the request, painting over the designs and competing with red or white undersides.

The 26-year-old has not publicly addressed the saga, with the International Surfing Association also declining to comment.

While the Australian was criticised by South Korean fans, Song took a neutral view in appreciating that surfers wanting to honour Irons may not understand the history of the Rising Sun flag.

“But I do want to tell people that even if this design is chosen out of personal views, it can be embarrassing,” he said.

“This isn’t about South Korea protesting but this is what invokes some people’s scars, so it should be banned for use despite freedom of expression.”

Robinson has since competed with red or white boards.Robinson has since competed with red or white boards.
Robinson has since competed with red or white boards. Credit: AAP

Robinson’s controversy is the second involving Australia during the surfing competition.

Australian judge Ben Lowe was dropped prior to the quarter-finals after he posed for a picture with countryman Ethan Ewing and his coach Bede Durbidge.

Durbidge posted the image on social media with the caption: “Three Straddie (North Stradbroke Island) boys doing their stuff at the Olympics.”

Lowe was stood down in accordance with the ISA’s code of conduct and the International Olympic Committee’s code of ethics, according to the ISA.

“It is inappropriate for a judge to be interacting in this manner with an athlete and their team,” the ISA said.

Ewing lost to Robinson in an all-Australian quarter-final.

Robinson will now meet Brazilian superstar Gabriel Medina in the semi-finals.

“The road’s never just straightforward, you always have to push through, step by step,” Robinson said of meeting Medina.

“I’m sure its going to be a good match-up.”

Technical delegates will meet on Monday to make a decision on the next likely date but it is expected Tuesday will host the semi-finals and medal rounds.

The semi-final winners will compete against each other for gold and silver while the losers will compete separately for bronze.

– with AAP